Laser technology application: Deformation and elastic recovery of semi-crystalline polymers

The elastic deformation-recovery and mechanical properties of semi-crystalline polymers (HDPE, LDPE and their blends) were investigated. An optoelectronic technique based on a laser beam was used to analyze the behavior of the samples under radial stress. The laser technology showed that the recovery process develops in two stages. The first one is governed by the elastic component and the second and slower one is controlled by the inelastic component of the material. At low deformation, the overall recovery is attributed to the development of structural micro-domains generated when shearing the amorphous segments of the polymer. The radial Young modulus was also determined and compared to unidirectional measurements. At low deformation both techniques provide very similar values; nevertheless, the radial Young modulus departs significantly from the unidirectional one when increasing the number of cycles of deformation-recovery.